Myanmar’s Weaponization of COVID-19 Face masks made in a military garment factory, shared on social media on 6 April. (Photo: Khin Soe Lwin / Facebook) Perhaps most concerning in the military’s due to cardiovascular side effects after taking coronavirus-related public relation campaign chloroquine as part of their treatment.114 Like is the widespread donation of the drug other military outreach activities applauded chloroquine to public hospitals throughout during the pandemic, the distribution of Shan State, in the Karenni State capital of chloroquine was an uninformed and tokenistic Loikaw, and to health workers in other border gesture that risks causing harm rather than areas under the Myanmar government control. contributing to a systematic national response. On documents detailing these activities seen In another public show of staged benev- by Progressive Voice, the chloroquine was olence, on 25 April the Myanmar military re- donated “for use in COVID-19 treatment.” vealed in a press conference that it was in pos- Chloroquine is used to fight malaria. According session of two Cobas 6800-model machines to the US-based Centers for Disease Control capable of testing for COVID-19, and 2,000 re- and Prevention, “there are no drugs or other agents for processing the tests, which it would therapeutics presently approved by the U.S. allow the government to use.115 In keeping with Food and Drug Administration to prevent or the highly centralized nature of the country’s treat COVID-19.”113 A recent study in Brazil was health system, the sole facility for processing halted after several COVID-19 patients died COVID-19 tests is the National Health Lab- 113 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Information for Clinicians on Investigational Therapeutics for Patients with COVID-19.” 25 April 2020. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/therapeutic-options. html 114 Reuters. “True claim: Brazilian chloroquine study on COVID-19 patients was halted after 11 deaths.” 18 April 2020. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-brazilian-chloroquine-study-idUSKBN21Z395 115 Thiha Lwin. “Myanmar Military to Lend State-of-the-Art Machines for Public COVID-19 Testing.” 27 April 2020. The Irrawaddy. Available at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/specials/myanmar-covid-19/myanmar-military-lend-state-artmachines-public-covid-19-testing.html 39